1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cabin front structure of an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
In the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-76531 A (JP 2012-76531 A) below, an instrument panel reinforcement is provided in a front part of a cabin. The instrument panel reinforcement extends in a vehicle width direction and is bridged between left and right body panels (left and right front pillars). A part of the instrument panel reinforcement on a driver's seat side, which requires strength, is formed to be thick, and a part of the instrument panel reinforcement on a passenger seat side, which does not require strength as much, is formed to be thin. On the part of the instrument panel reinforcement on the driver's seat side, a column bracket for mourning a steering column is mounted.
Incidentally, in a collision state where a part of a front part of an automobile has front collision with other vehicle or the like on an outer side of a front side member in a vehicle width direction (so-called short overlap collision), it may be impossible to absorb collision energy by deformation of the front side member. In such a case, a front pillar on the side of the collision is deformed to a vehicle rear side due to a load from a front wheel moving rearward, and it is possible that an instrument panel reinforcement bridged between the left and right front pillars might be bent over at a part where a thickness of the instrument panel reinforcement changes in a middle part of the instrument panel reinforcement in the vehicle width direction.
For example, once the front pillar is deformed to the vehicle rear side due to short overlap collision, a part of the instrument panel reinforcement on the driver's seat side is displaced to the vehicle rear side, and it is thus considered that the instrument panel reinforcement is bent over in the middle part of the instrument panel reinforcement in a vehicle width direction. In this case, a steering column mounted on the instrument panel reinforcement through a column bracket is displaced obliquely to the vehicle rear side and to an inner side in the vehicle width direction about the bent part. It is thus possible that an air bag disposed in a steering wheel may be misaligned from a regular deployment position.